The French national train operator SNCF has discovered that 2,000 new trains, ordered at a cost of 15 billion euros ($20.5bn; £12.1bn), are too wide for many regional platforms. The embarrassing blunder has already cost the rail operator over 50 million euros ($68.4m; £40.6m), a figure that is expected to rise.
Construction work has begun to reconfigure station platforms to allow the new trains room to pass through. However, officials say there are still 1,000 platforms that need adjustment.
The error appears to have occurred because the national rail operator RFF provided incorrect dimensions to SNCF. The RFF measured platforms built less than 30 years ago, overlooking that many of France's regional platforms were built more than 50 years ago when trains were slimmer.
A spokesman for RFF confirmed they had 'discovered the problem a bit late'. Transport Minister Frederic Cuvillier blamed an 'absurd rail system' for the issue, stating: 'When you separate the rail operator from the train company, this is what happens.'
